One of the newest members of Dubai's growing breakfast club, Society is a sunny eatery bravely holding its own despite being neighbors with Jumeirah's old school Lime Tree Cafe. Serving everything you've double-tapped on Instagram, it dishes out modern comfort food with a side of specialty coffee that, by obligation, is too cool for school.
Reservation
With two communal tables and heaps of general seating, Society is ideal for both intimate lunches and bustling social dinners. Reservations can be made at 054 455 8719.
Parking
Ample paid public parking is available in front of Society.
Greeting and seating
We were casually greeted by a server, promptly seated in the sun-kissed lounge, and left to ponder the menus. An extravagant display of Society's renowned croissants winked at us from a distance.
Knowledge and service of the waiter
Society nails various areas of being a restaurant - its aesthetic is bang on trend, the music comes a close second, the food just blows this list to shreds with how good it is (more on this later), but the service needs more than just a quick spit polish. The restaurant is expansive and spans two levels, so you can expect to get a good step count in fetching the waiter whenever you need something. Make sure your order is crystal clear the first time and things should sail smoothly.
Our order
Breakfast was a feast of scrambled eggs with truffle bechamel and mushrooms, avocado on toast with peas and a poached egg, baked eggs with spiced chorizo, strawberry cappuccino, crispy fried chicken burger and the chocolate lava cake. Lunch was a feast of halloumi fries, cauliflower steak, Portobello mushroom sandwich, ristretto, and a French press coffee.
Food
BREAKFAST
Jumeirah's breakfast scene is on the rise so we decided to sample one of its newest brekkie nooks. Coffee first! Why go for regular cappuccino when you can have its sexier strawberry-laced cousin? And damn – we clung onto every sip until we reached the bottom of our cup.
The crispy fried chicken burger was too fried for our palates. But with a name like that, we can hardly say we were surprised by the grease levels. Taking a break from shakshuka, we opted for any replacement we could find on the menu. Baked eggs with spiced chorizo to the rescue. Crispy and creamy in all the right places, it's perfect if you're on the prowl for protein.
Would this even be a breakfast review if we left out the avocado on toast? In an industry that's on a permanent mission to redefine avocado on toast – Society's contribution was a handful of green peas. More peas than expected, but we didn't have time to count with all the eating that needed to be done. Delicious! The same goes for the scrambled eggs with truffle bechamel and mushrooms. Luxurious flavors paired with equally lavish textures – an instant favorite.
The icing on the cake was, well, cake! A dense slice of chocolate lava cake that could put a quarter pounder burger to shame. Our tastebuds were screaming for an encore by the final morsel.
LUNCH
We plunged into our “light lunch” with a modest portion of halloumi fries. Deep-fried cheese in a zesty yogurt dressing sprinkled with greens and pomegranate seeds. Modest indeed. You can't screw up halloumi fries – individually, they're a winning dish - so combined they're just a glittering ball of supreme deliciousness. It also happens to be a best-selling appetizer. No surprise there.
Next up, roasted cauliflower steak for me and a Portobello mushroom sandwich for my partner. The cauliflower steak arrived as a daunting portion. I'm surprised the waiter didn't need a bulldozer to bring it from the kitchen to our table. Dressed in a velvety sauce, it was a refreshing change for plant-based diners that have grown weary of mushroom risotto or salad being their only options on the menu. My partner's Portobello sandwich was essentially a salad sandwich. Stuffed with chubby chunks of mushroom and crispy leaves, he amped it up by stuffing his side salad in for good measure. The result was a jaw-breaking winner.
As for the coffee – you can't be a chef that has worked at Common Grounds – and not know each coffee granule in your kitchen by its first name. So, as expected, the coffee was on point.
Courtesy extended during the meal
Jarek Wysmyk, Society's head chef and flavor expert, slid over an exclusive prototype dish that was still under construction. We took one look and it and weren't impressed – it was avocado on toast, after all. But we persevered and took a nibble, and the old don't judge a book by its cover proverb flooded our tastebuds. What we were experiencing was Society's first-ever raw vegan dessert. Airy tufts of whipped avocado delicately piped onto a dense date, nut, and cocoa base. A heavenly pairing so perfect, it trumps - dare I say it - avocado on toast.
Ambiance
Glass ceilings and luscious indoor plants. Marble tabletops. Sophisticated glints of rose gold and copper finishing. Society's avant-garde interiors fit the trendy district it's in like a glove.
Price
Breakfast amounted to 363 dirhams.
Lunch, excluding the complimentary dessert, landed us with a 218 dirham bill.
Overall, would you return?
Yes, if I can get my act together to make it in time for the khachapuri – a breakfast menu exclusive.
Chef's recommendations
Khachapuri*, halloumi fries, and selection of specialty croissants.
*Khachapuri – Georgian bread boat baked with an egg and cheddar sauce.